Chapter 34
Li Jia felt as if her temples were being pierced by countless silver needles. She opened her eyes with a frown, each throb bringing a dull pain.
Is she suffering from a hangover?
Unlike the blurry vision in her sleep, she clearly saw the figures of two people in the mirror on the ceiling.
Although the two people in the mirror were covered with a thin blanket, her exposed areas, collarbone and cheeks were covered with red marks. Perhaps she had gone too far with pleasure, because the other person had bitten her shoulder deeply, the teeth marks like a brand, proving that she belonged to someone.
The room was filled with a faint woody scent mixed with a sensual aroma, a testament to the passionate lovemaking of the previous night, in which the two of them had shared a blissful encounter.
When Li Jia finally saw the face of the person beside her, only two words came to her mind: It's over.
How could she have slept with her boss?!
And it's obvious that the boss is still the same one from above.
How did she become the one below?
"Sigh, I really wanted to be the top..."
At first, Li Jia was a little scared. It's perfectly normal for young people to have one-night stands these days. Although she was a virgin, she probably knew what had happened between her and Hera, and her mind filled with all sorts of wild imaginings.
After touching the light vortex, Li Jia's memory fragments returned. After touching the light vortex, her body became uncontrollably hot, and she remembered the little mermaid girl again.
The saying "a lesson learned is a lesson learned" is absolutely true.
Don't pick wildflowers by the roadside anymore, and don't pick little girls you don't know by the roadside either!
From Li Jia's perspective, a god as self-righteous as Hera would certainly not take the initiative to help her stumble along. She was more likely to have fallen for the little girl's tricks and been poisoned by something like a lustful poison that only exists in novels.
Then, his physical abilities exploded, and he forced himself on Hera.
My apologies, my apologies...
How could someone make such a huge mistake?
However, aside from some soreness, there were no other problems with my body, and as for my technique...
Very good.
Did Hera have experience in this area?
So, which woman am I to her?
Such an awesome god, would he really not have any beautiful women by his side?
I'm afraid of being overwhelmed by bitterness.
Li Jia kept trying to comfort herself, telling herself that she wasn't some ancient relic from the Qing Dynasty, and that it was perfectly normal for Hera to have had a sex life. But her heart felt like it was blocked by something, a dull ache.
She couldn't breathe and felt terrible. Li Jia, who had been sleeping in her arms, slowly broke free and turned to her side, no longer looking at her.
Her eyes were burning and swollen, and suspicion felt like a thorn stuck in her heart. Li Jia bit her lip to stop herself from crying out loud, but her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, and suppressed sobs still escaped from her throat, like a kitten whimpering. The pillow was soaked with tears.
Why are you crying?
The woman's voice was slightly softer than usual, but still had a cool tone: "It's not hot anymore."
Turning Hera's body from the side to face her, Li Jia saw Hera's well-defined jawline. Her fingertips were touching Hera's forehead, her brows furrowed tightly, then relaxed.
Li Jia also had her own stubbornness. She didn't want Hera to see her jealousy, so she said "It's nothing," but the rest of the words were stuck in her throat and she couldn't say a word. She could only move her lips in vain.
The woman got up and brought a bowl of warm water from the table. The rim of the porcelain bowl still had the unique warmth of her body heat. "Drink some water first. You've had a fever all night and you'll be dehydrated."
Li Jia nodded and took the bowl. She was working so hard that her fingertips accidentally touched her palm, and her face started to burn. She pulled back to the bottom of the bowl as if burned.
After finishing his water, he handed the empty bowl to Hera, who then returned to bed. The two remained silent.
The atmosphere was very silent for a while, and Li Jia was feeling very uneasy.
What's this?
Post-coital water?
In novels, after a night of passion, the male protagonist lies languidly on the bedside table, lights a cigarette, and looks at the female protagonist with deep affection, saying, "I will definitely take responsibility for you."
Li Jia had not received systematic sex education; all her imaginations and sources of knowledge about sex came from restricted books and movies.
My first real, formal understanding of sex came in junior high school biology class, but the biology teacher's explanation of the chapter on reproduction was rushed and superficial. The male students below were covering their mouths with their textbooks and snickering, while the female students lowered their heads.
Li Jia spread the textbook flat on the table, her fingertips tracing over words like "ovary" and "fallopian tube." These black printed characters were unfamiliar and stiff, far less vivid than the descriptions in the novel she kept at the bottom of her wardrobe.
She noticed that the boy in front of her had his textbook stuck on the illustration of the reproductive system, and he and his deskmate seemed to be looking at something funny.
Li Jia felt inexplicably angry. The biology teacher blew over the topic in less than ten minutes: "This chapter won't be on the test. Just take a look at it. You'll understand it naturally later. It's common sense."
After the bell rang, the boys gathered in the corridor and started making a fuss. The "fertilization process" in the textbook had awakened some kind of desire in them, and they started spouting vulgarities as if they had no teacher. The girls blushed and ran away when they heard this, and no one dared to stop and discuss it.
Li Jia didn't understand. No one told her, or rather, no one had ever told them, how to understand things beyond "common sense".
For example, the penis and urethra are not the same place; how to prevent having a child after eating forbidden fruit; and that the first time doesn't actually bleed, but rather is caused by rough handling.
These things all depend on guesswork and imagination.
They stammered about reproductive knowledge, but made grand pronouncements about it.
Li Jia sat on the edge of the bed, her back to her, knees bent, arms wrapped around her calves, her gaze fixed on the patch of morning light on the floor, lost in thought.
Her hair was still loose, with slightly wrinkled ends—the curls she'd created last night.
Hera guessed that Li Jia was probably considering her options. She was always clever, and now she was thinking about how to start a conversation with her, or what excuse she should come up with to quickly get dressed and run away.
Li Jia was lost in thought and didn't move for a long time. When Hera saw that she wasn't talking, she reached out and pinched the fleshy part of her arm.
The more they squeezed, the harder they squeezed, causing Li Jia to cry out in pain.
Hera looked at her like this and suddenly found it a little funny, but also a little pitiful. She moved closer to her and said, "Come over here. Are you afraid I'll eat you up because you're so far away from me?"
Li Jia's face instantly turned red, the blush spreading from the tips of her ears all the way down to her neck. She hesitated for a moment, then obediently moved slowly toward her, her knees almost touching her legs, but then quickly shrank back, like a kitten tentatively approaching warmth, cunning and perceptive.
What are you thinking about?
She asked, softening her voice to avoid startling her.
"Why were you crying just now? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Li Jia pursed her lips, and after a long while, she whispered, "No... nothing... I just feel that it's a bit unfair."
Hera asked, puzzled and bewildered, "What? What's unfair?"
Li Jia gritted her teeth, her sadness turning into indignation: "This isn't your first time, but it is. You're a liar!"
She had barely finished speaking when she saw Hera's expression freeze. Hera frowned, her eyes filled with growing doubt, and her tone was more serious than she had ever heard before: "What are you thinking about?"
“It’s just…” Li Jia’s voice trailed off, her face flushed red, but she still forced herself to say, “Last night…we did what only husband and wife do. I fell asleep in a daze, and you made me feel very comfortable. You didn’t seem nervous at all yesterday…have you been with many other women?”
Hera then realized what was happening. She stared at the corners of her red, tear-stained eyes, smiled helplessly, and pulled her into her arms, her voice soft: "I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep all night. I was afraid of hurting you. Didn't you notice?"
She looked down and pointed to her fingertips: "Look, they're all wrinkled from being soaked here last night when I helped you. Didn't you notice?"
Hera's gaze was too frank, and Li Jia, recalling the memories in her mind that she couldn't mend, lowered her voice: "You mean... we didn't..."
Hera coughed twice: "You were poisoned by the merfolk's secret drug, Siren Extract, yesterday. If you don't get relief, you will die. To save you, I had no choice but to resort to this drastic measure."
"It was my fault, I offended you."
Looking at Hera's wrinkled fingertips, Li Jia felt embarrassed. How could she have judged a gentleman by her own petty standards?
Her previously conflicted emotions instantly eased, and she said in a relaxed manner, "Your Majesty did this to save me. I will not tell anyone. Your Majesty has been kind to me, and I will keep this matter to myself until the day I die."
Li Jia knew she had offended the gods. Although she hadn't actually entered them, the thought of engaging in such tender acts with such a lowly and filthy slave would likely be a source of ridicule if word got out.
This matter is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me; she won't say a word, she definitely won't reveal a single word.
Throughout history, from the West to the East, women's reputations have always been highly valued. A woman with multiple romantic relationships is often seen as a promiscuous woman.
Men, on the other hand, don't do that. They only say that a prodigal son's return is more precious than gold, and they haven't even developed a phrase as famous as [the original text is missing here].
After Zeus married Hera, he had countless fleeting affairs and illegitimate children. At most, people would say he was "charming" or "lucky".
Hera, on the other hand, was unfairly labeled as the first jealous woman, accused of being intolerant and unable to control her own man.
Li Jia never wanted her to be involved in malice.
“I will pretend it never happened, Your Majesty, please don’t take it to heart.” Li Jia avoided her deep gaze, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz: “I won’t make you take responsibility, we didn’t really do anything substantial.”
"Pretend it never happened?"
Hera's smile vanished abruptly. She rose and took a step closer, casting a shadow over her: "Li Jia, do you know what you're saying?"
She ran her fingertips over the red marks on Li Jia's collarbone, then across the teeth marks on her arm, and said self-deprecatingly, "What about these? What about these marks? Can you just wipe them away as if they never happened?"
Li Jia's hands were bound, her back pressed against the cold wooden headboard. She cried out in panic, "Your Majesty! This was an accident! It was the siren extract that lured us in, not something we did willingly..."
Hera's tone turned cold: "Last night you held me tightly and wouldn't let go, saying you were in pain. Now that you've felt better, you're the one trying to wash your hands of it?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch."
"I told you, these were all accidents..."
Li Jia's explanation was unconvincing and a mere sophistry: "We're all adults, and besides, we didn't go all the way..."
"Your Majesty, please spare me."
The girl was practically begging.
"So you don't have to take responsibility?"
Hera interrupted her, her eyes flashing with an anger she had never seen before: "Li Jia, I regret it."
"What?"
Hera stared into her evasive eyes, her voice deep and tense: "I should have just taken you. In your eyes, the night I spent with you deserves to be treated as if it never happened?"
Hera suddenly grabbed her wrists and pulled her close, so close that they could almost breathe.
"Accident?"
She suddenly chuckled softly, her fingertips tracing the lingering teeth marks on the other person's neck.
Sirens only amplify desires, but cannot create vain cravings.
“Last night you called my name, I counted.”
"A total of twelve times."
"As soon as I pull it out, you call my name and tell me not to stop."
Li Jia's pupils suddenly contracted, and the tips of her ears burned bright red.
Those chaotic fragments of memory surged in like a tide. In her confusion, she clutched the woman's hair, repeating that name over and over again, as if it were the only piece of driftwood she could grasp in a vast ocean.
Now that Hera had laid bare her naked, Li Jia felt ashamed and helpless, her throat gripped by vines that prevented her from opening her mouth.
"That...that was just because of the Sirens' Extract..." Li Jia bit her lip and tried to argue, but dared not look directly into the dark undercurrent in Hera's eyes.
Hera suddenly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up and meet her gaze: "But when you're awake, you've never called my name."
Li Jia's breath hitched.
Indeed, when she was sober, she always addressed him respectfully as "Your Majesty" and dared not overstep her bounds.
Last night, those out-of-control cries seemed to tear open the most hidden cracks in her heart.
Hera's fingers slowly moved down, tracing her cheeks, collarbone, arms, lower abdomen, calves, and fingertips. These intertwined kiss marks were enough to ignite one's imagination.
“These marks, each one etched with my name, do you think they can all be erased with a simple ‘accident’?”
"I……"
Li Jia wanted to explain, but the words got stuck in her throat. She could only watch as the anger in Hera's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deeper gloom.
Those hands were still gripping her chin, not with much force, but enough to prevent her from escaping.
“Li Jia”.
Hera's voice lowered, carrying a hoarseness she had never heard before: "Do you think I saved you only because you are my servant?"
These words startled Li Jia. She had always thought that Hera, as the supreme deity, only showed her pity for her servants and protected her subordinates.
But at that moment, the other person's eyes were too bright, so bright that she dared not delve into the meaning of the emotions behind them.
"No one can force me, unless it's you."
Hera released her chin with her fingers, but instead wrapped her arms around her waist, pressing her even closer to the headboard.
“But I am merely a servant, Your Majesty. You are the supreme deity, how can you treat me like this…”
Li Jia's tears fell freely, rolling onto the back of her hand.
“Li Jia”.
Hera called her name.
She said, "Do you remember? You were the one who said you loved me first."
"Now."
She bent down, her fingertips gently wiping away the tears on her cheeks. The next second, those words, enough to shatter all her unease, clearly fell into her ears:
"Your god has fallen in love with you."
Upon hearing this, Li Jia was slightly taken aback, but no longer because of shame or indignation. Her heart pounded like a drum, and disbelief flashed in her eyes.
She raised her hand and grasped Hera's wrist, her voice trembling with tears, yet much more resolute than before: "But Your Majesty... this is against propriety."
"Etiquette and law?"
Hera's voice took on a hint of mockery as her fingertips slowly moved down, gently touching her trembling lips.
"From the moment you said you loved me, I broke all the rules with my own hands."
Li Jia's pupils dilated slightly as she looked at her reflection in Hera's eyes. The humble servant was now standing beside the god, sharing the same light and shadow.
Alright then, Li Jia was a little tired from crying, and suddenly she was promoted from a subordinate to the boss's wife.
"Can I call you by your name from now on?"
Hera looked at her reddened eyes and smiled, gently tapping the tip of her nose with her fingertip: "More than that."
She pulled Li Jia into her arms, resting her chin on the top of her head, her voice so gentle it could melt hearts: "From now on, I'll let you know that calling my name is never wrong."
"Be my friend."
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